'Crossbones' starring John Malkovich premieres on NBC

Crossbones, the new series starring John Malkovich, follows the world’s most famous pirate, Bluebeard. The lavish show will air at 10 p.m. on NBC tonight.

The production is based on the book The Republic of Pirates. It focuses on Blackbeard and undercover government agent Tom Lowe played by Richard Coyle.

Coyle's character is a super-agent of the Royal Navy who poses as a ship’s doctor, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Crossbones is set in the golden age of piracy in the 1700s. It is a complicated plot line.

"This story says what if he [Blackbeard] had lived and if he had had a much longer career but a secret career. And if he had gained a great deal of wealth and caused great havoc to the shipping trades," Malkovich told NBC, according to Contact Music.

The series also stars Tracy Ifeachor as Nenna, Yasmine Al Massri as Selima El Sharad, and David Hoflin as Charles Rider. Yasmine Al Massri is also featured in the show.